Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis was arrested on charges of secretively spraying the high school with a substance that smelled like fecal matter, according to a report by ABC News.
The Florence County Sheriff’s office reportedly said the stunt, which involved dispensing the revolting substance at West Florence High School over a nearly monthlong time period, sickened students and caused a staggering $55,000 in damages.
The 32-year-old assistant teacher acquired the fart spray — meant to imitate fecal odor — from an online distributor, the sheriff’s office added.
“Investigators allege that Lewis used the spray on multiple occasions and over time resulting in a disruption of the school, children requiring medical attention for respiratory issues and requiring the school to incur an expenditure of over $55,000 for inspection and damage to the school air conditioning system,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators did not explain how they tied Lewis to the crime.
Lewis is accused of spraying the substance at the high school between August 25 and September 19, during which time students complained of experiencing nausea, dizziness, and headaches.
The assistant teacher — who has since been booked at the Florence County Jail where he is being held on $9,090 bond — was reportedly arrested Friday on charges of disturbing schools and malicious injury to property with a value of over $10,000.
“The investigation into this matter is ongoing and additional charges are possible,” the sheriff’s office told ABC News.
A motive for Lewis’s alleged behavior remains unclear.
A man who claimed to be Lewis’s brother responded to a phone inquiry from ABC News, saying, “He’s not interested in making any comment at this time.”
“Personally, as a student, every time I go to my second block class, I walk up the stairwell and immediately, teachers are covering their noses and their mouths, coughing because of the smell,” one West Florence High School student told WPDE.
“I got physically sick the other day because of the smell. I feel like I’m going to pass out because I get so lightheaded and so dizzy,” the student added.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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